Besides meaty arms, the pectorals are probably the best of the "showy" body parts. Somewhere in time (oddly enough at the same time as the rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger), the chest became the ultimate sign of manhood. Thick pecs give a three dimensional look to the upper body, and a well-defined chest makes your torso look like an old Roman soldier's breastplate.

The following chest specialization program will focus on building not only that large "breastplate," but complete pecs. Remember that sheer size isn't enough; a muscle group must be developed in its entirety.

The Program

Let's take a look at this long-awaited program, shall we?

Training Split

Monday: Chest (thickness)

Tuesday: Quads/Hamstrings/Calves (low volume)

Wednesday: Chest (width)

Thursday: OFF/Abs

Friday: Chest (upper portion)

Saturday: Back/Shoulders/Biceps/Triceps (low volume)

Sunday: OFF/Abs

As we mentioned in the previous specialization articles, the non-targeted muscle groups (anything but pectorals in this program) are trained using a low volume of work: one or two exercises for three sets per muscle group is enough to avoid losing what you have and even gain some if you work hard enough on those 3-6 sets.

Monday – Chest (Thickness/Heavy Weights)

A. (Heavy Exercise) Neutral Grip Dumbbell Press

Sets: 6

Reps: 1 x 7, 1 x 5, 1 x 3, 1 x 7, 1 x 5, 1 x 3

Special Technique: none

Notes: At the top, squeeze your pecs hard, trying to reach for the ceiling with your hands

Rest Intervals: 90 seconds

B1. (Post-Fatigue Exercise #1) Decline Bench Press

Sets: 3

Reps: 6 to 8

Special Technique: Post-fatigue and low position double contraction

Notes: Lift the bar from chest to mid-range, lower it back to the chest, lift it to full extension. This is one rep.

Rest Intervals: none (post-fatigue superset)

B2. Two-position Cable Crossover

Sets: 3

Reps: 8 to 10 to high position, then 8 to 10 to low position

Special Technique: Post-fatigue and peak contraction

Notes: Squeeze the pectorals hard at the peak contraction for 3-4 sec.

Rest Intervals: 90 sec.

C. (Special Exercise) Combo Dumbbell/Cable Press

Sets: 3

Reps: 10 to 12

Special Technique: none

Notes: Attach each arm to the low-pulley station with the ankle straps

Rest Intervals: 60 sec.

D. (100 Reps Set) Half (peak) reps on pec deck

Sets: 1

Reps: 100

Special Technique: none

Notes: Only perform the last half of the movement (from mid-range to peak contraction)

Rest Intervals: N/A

Wednesday – Chest (Width)

A. (Heavy Exercise) Wide-Grip Bench Press to Neck

Sets: 4

Reps: 6 to 8

Special Technique: None

Notes: Take a wide grip, lower the bar to the base of the neck, flare the elbows out

Rest Intervals: 90 sec.

B1. (Post-Fatigue Exercise #1) Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

Sets: 3

Reps: 8 to 10

Special Technique: Post-fatigue and low position double contraction

Notes: Lift the bar from chest to mid-range, lower it back to the chest, lift it to full extension. This is one rep. Flare elbows out on the way down.

Rest Intervals: none (post-fatigue superset)

B2. (Post-Fatigue Exercise #2) Half Dumbbell Flye

Sets: 3

Reps: 10 to 12

Special Technique: Post-fatigue and 303 tempo

Notes: Aim for a maximum stretch on each rep and never take the tension off of your pecs.

Notes: Lift the weight as an explosive press and lower it as a slow flye.

Rest Intervals: 60 sec.

D. (100 Reps Set) Machine Incline Press

Sets: 1

Reps: 100

Special Technique: None

Notes: You can take pauses if needed, but try not to.

Rest Intervals: N/A

Conclusion

As with any specialization program, you'll see the biggest gains after you switch to a regular program, not during the specialization phase itself. Don't get me wrong, you'll get some growth during the phase, but most of the good stuff will happen once you reduce your chest training volume to a normal amount.

This is due to a rebound effect which will lead to a turbo-charged growth phase. For that reason, I suggest sticking to a specialization phase for no more than four weeks; more than that and you risk overtraining your chest and you won't get such a big rebound effect because your adaptive energy will be used to get you out of that localized overtraining state.